Vehicle's that derive some or all of their power from an on-board electric storage device (i.e., a battery) may need to be re-charged periodically from an off-board charging source such as a utility grid or another energy source. The amount of time required to acquire such a re-charge (i.e., the charging duration) from an off-board charging source depends upon a number of factors. These factors can have a significant impact not only on the duration of the charge, but also its associated costs. Much of the information related to these factors is not currently available to vehicle operators. If the operators were privy to this information, it might affect their decisions on where, when, and how to re-charge their vehicles. In addition, the ability to acquire this information at the time of vehicle charge may serve to reduce warranty work at the dealerships since, armed with this knowledge, fewer charging issues may be reported.
It is desirable to provide a way to offer vehicle users feedback regarding how particular factors affect charge rates, such that the users may better understand how their charging methods are impacted by these factors, and may take alternative actions when charging their vehicles.